Willem De Kooning – Collage made $33.6 million a new record for a work on paper by the artist.
The New York sales at Sotheby’s this week made $856.3 million, bringing the yearly total for Modern and Contemporary art to $3.04 billion. Every lot was sold at two of the six sales this week. In some cases bidding was frenzied with more than ten bidders each for eight artists: Salman Toor (15 bidders), Louis Fratino (13), Julien Nguyen (13), Lucy Bull (13), Jean Arp (12), Elaine de Kooning (12), Pierre Soulages (11) and Barbara Kruger (11). major works by Piet Mondrian ($51 million), Alexander Calder ($8.5 million), Joan Miró ($6.5 million) and August Rodin ($2.3 million) all went to buyers in Asia,
Morning Prayer, Cottage Interior, Co. Cork, 1901 by James Brenan at Whyte’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE 9,500 AT HAMMER
Collectors of Irish art have an array of choice across all price levels in the run up to Christmas. The fun gets underway on Tuesday as timed online Irish art sales at Sotheby’s and de Veres get underway with artists and sculptors from F.E. McWilliam, Rowan Gillespie, Roderic O’Conor, Patrick Scott and William Crozier at Sotheby’s to Tony O’Malley, John Shinnors, Donald Teskey, Sir John Lavery and Colin Middleton at de Veres.
Still Life and Window by Tony O’Malley at de Veres. UPDATE: THIS MADE 44,000 AT HAMMER
The selection at de Veres includes a collection of Irish 18th century landscapes and Irish Georgian tables from a private Cork collection as well as oils by Paul Henry, Jack Yeats, Roderic O’Conor and many eminent artists.The online sale at Sotheby’s will introduce a strong representation of contemporary Irish artists and sculptors to worldwide clients.
Irish highlights at Sotheby’s sale of Modern British and Irish art in London next Wednesday include two early oils by Yeats, Going to the Races, 1917 (€230,400-€345,600) and Sunday Morning, 1921 (€172,800-€288,000) and The Fisherman’s Cottage c1950 by Gerard Dillon (€92,170-€138,300).
Woman of Kinsale by Patrick Hennessy at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE £7,560
Viewing for Whyte’s evening sale of Important Irish Art on November 28 gets underway in Dublin next Wednesday. There are major works by Paul Henry, Louis le Brocquy, Mainie Jellett, Walter Osborne, Sean Keating, Mary Swanzy and Roderic O’Conor. Morning Prayer, Cottage Interior, County Cork, 1901 by James Brenan (1837-1907), headmaster at the Cork School of Art in the 1860’s, is the only known oil painting to show a canopy bed with a boarded, canted roof. The art historian Dr. Claudia Kinmonth reports that these highly functional beds endured throughout Ireland well into the 20th century as they enabled poor families to huddle together and stay warm. At a time when TB was rampant they were condemned by medics. Lot 6 is estimated at €10,000-€15,000.
Currachs Returning, Moonlight, Connemara Coast by Ciaran Clear at Morgan O’Driscoll. UPDATE: THIS MADE 6,600 AT HAMMER
Artists from Kenneth Webb and Norah McGuinness to Sean Scully and Mainie Jellett will feature among the highlights at Morgan O’Driscoll’s current online sale of Irish art. This continues until November 29 and like all the sales mentioned in this piece, the catalogue is online. The appetising selection includes work by Ciaran Clear, Martin Gale, Charles Harper, George Campbell and Arthur Maderson.
The autumn/winter art selling season will draw to a close with an evening sale of important Irish Art at James Adam in Dublin on December 7. There are 144 lots in total with two works by Yeats and an important triptych by John Shinnors entitled Line. This is a response by the Limerick artist to a painting by the British post impressionist Frank Bramley entitled Domino at the Crawford Gallery in Cork.
AMEDEO MODIGLIANI (1884-1920) – Beatrice Hastings (devant une porte) Painted in 1915 Price Realised: $17,565,000
In eight days of art sales in New York Christie’s has so far achieved $2 billion. The 20th Century evening sale and the 21st Century evening sale which ran consecutively at Christie’s in New York last night made $421,976,700. When combined with the results of the Paul Allen collection the total reached an unprecedented $2,044,226,200.
The 20th Century sale made $307,945,300 and was 96% sold by lot and 88% by value. Mark Rothko’s Untitled and Amedeo Modigliani’s Beatrice Hastings each sold for $17,565,000. Additional highlights included works by notable female artists. A massive canvas by Joan Mitchell made $14,130,000, and a rare self-portrait by Frida Kahlo made $8,634,000.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Sugar Ray Robinson, was the top lot at the 21st century sale and made $32,679,000. Results for female artists and artists of colour were strong. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Minjung Kim, Noah Davis and Rashid Johnson all set new records.
UPDATE: The two weeks of sales concluded having achieved $2,170,537,204 over seven live auctions and one online.
Strike Twice, a 2022 acrylic and spray paint on canvas by Maser comes up at Sotheby’s Irish art sale online which is open for bidding from November 16-22. It is estimated at £6,000-£8,000. There are 74 lots on offer with a combined pre-sale estimate of £708,700 – 1,069,000 / €816,500-1,231,600. There is sculpture by Rowan Gillespie, F.E. McWilliam, Patrick O’Reilly, Linda Brunker, Orla de Bri, Conor Fallon and John Behan and paintings by Paul Henry, Roderic O’Conor, Evie Hone, Gerard Dillon, Walter Osborne, Frank McKelvey, William Crozier, Louis le Brocquy, Colin Middleton, Gerard Dillon, Peter Curling and many other artists.
There was a new auction record for Piet Mondrian at Sotheby’s Modern evening auction in New York last night when an iconic abstract painting – Composition No. II – made $51 million. Made by the Dutch artist in 1930 it was last auctioned in 1982 when it sold for a then record of $2.15 million. This time around it was sold to a collector in Asia.
Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s chairman, Europe said: “There are few artists who have staked such an audacious claim in the history of Modern art as Piet Mondrian, whose grid-style of abstract painting is a truly singular achievement in painting history.”
Sean Keating (1889-1977) – Man and Woman collecting Seaweed, Aran Islands. UPDATE: THIS MADE 30,000 AT HAMMER
Viewing begins in Castlecomer today for Fonsie Mealy’s Important Irish and International art sale on November 16. There are 417 lots on offer including works by Jack B Yeats, Sean Keating, Michael O Nuallain, William Sadler, Augustus Burke, Maurice MacGonigal, Evie Hone, John Shinnors, Pauline Bewick and John Behan. The catalogue is online.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for November 6 and October 25, 2022)
Going to the Races by Jack B. Yeats. UPDATE: THIS MADE £226,800
A feast of Irish art will be celebrated at Sotheby’s this month. Jack B Yeats and Gerard Dillon will headline the Irish side of the Modern British and Irish art sale in London on November 23. An online sale of Irish art at Sotheby’s from next Wednesday will run until Tuesday, November 22 and a selection from these sales is on view at the RHA in Dublin this weekend. The introduction of relatively unknown artists to the world and important rediscoveries like The Fisherman’s Cottage by Gerard Dillon combine to offer Irish art an important shot in the arm. The global reach of Sotheby’s, the Irish diaspora, the fact that art lovers everywhere will find these sales relatively affordable compared to the stratospheric prices now achieved at the top, the presence in the catalogue of feted British artists like Barbara Hepworth, L.S. Lowry and William Nicholson and the support of an international marketing campaign make this November a very good month indeed for Irish art and artists.
There is much more than a sense of onwards and upwards at play. The two atmospheric early Yeats oils Going to the Races, 1917 and Sunday Morning, 1921 and the fantastic rediscovery of The Fisherman’s Cottage, a c1950 Dillon from a private collection, have a combined value of £430,000-£670,000 (€495,000-€772,000). Dillon’s first encounter with Connemara in 1939 was a revelatory moment and this painting, set on Inishlacken looking across to Roundstone, ranks among the finest examples of his portrayals of the west of Ireland.
The Settlers by Rowan Gillespie at Sotheby’s online sale. UPDATE: THIS MADE £47,880
It is impossible not to be enthusiastic about the 74 diverse lots in an online sale with a range of paintings, drawings and sculpture from the 19th century to the present day. The combined estimate is €816,500-€1,231,600. There is a Gerard Dillon – Village on the Hill, a lively Paul Henry – The Entrance to Killary Bay – John Lavery’s last painting – Gypsies in Ireland and Last Bastion of the Old Theatre Royal by Harry Kernoff. This second Theatre Royal closed its doors in 1934 and was demolished soon after. There are 18 works from the collection of the late Irish American Brian P Burns, who amassed one of the greatest collections of Irish art in private hands. Contemporary artists and sculptors represented include Rowan Gillespie, Linda Brunker, John Behan, Patrick O’Reilly, Maser, Joy Gerrard, Diana Copperwhite, Richard Hearn, Blaise Smith and Melissa O’Flaherty and there are early works by Erskine Nicol and James Arthur O’Connor. There will be artists talks at the RHA at noon today by John Behan, Melissa O’Flaherty and Maser and at noon tomorrow by Diana Copperwhite, Richard Hearn and Blaise Smith.
Glengariff from the Kenmare Road, Evening, 1862 by William McEvoy from the Brian P Burns Collection at Sotheby’s. UPDATE: THIS MADE £6,300
Killarney wood work table at Hegarty’s. UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD
A busy week of auctions, fairs and exhibitions on the home front is book ended by Art Source at the RDS this weekend and the National Antiques and Vintage Fair at Limerick Racecourse next weekend. At Art Source Gormleys will feature an exhibition by Damien Hirst and the work of around 160 artists will be on display.
Online auctions by O’Donovan’s in Newcastlewest and Aidan Foley in Kilcolgan, Co. Galway will take place respectively today and tomorrow. Sunday will also see a sale by Sean Eacrett in Ballybrittas, Co. Laois. On Monday it will be the turn of Milltown Auction Rooms, Dundalk. Among the prime lots at Hegarty’s sale in Bandon on Wednesday is a 19th century Killarney work table. Viewing for Fonsie Mealy’s sale of Irish and International art on Wednesday gets underway in Castlecomer on Monday. A fine Yeats, re-discovered Aran Island works by Sean Keating and works by John Shinnors, John Behan, Pauline Bewick and Daniel MacLise will feature.
The National Antique Fair at Limerick Racecourse on November 19 and 20 will bring more than 80 dealers from right around Ireland. Organiser Robin O’Donnell will exhibit at his own fair for the first time.
Robin O’Donnell will offer this Irish Regency rosewood teapoy at the National Antique Fair.
GEORGIA O’KEEFFE (1887-1986) – White Rose with Larkspur No. 1 sold for $26,725,000
On Thursday, November 10, 2022, Christie’s concluded Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection, a landmark philanthropic event. Visionary comprised 155 masterpiece objects spanning 500 years of art history. It was sold over a two-day series of auctions. In total, the collection realised $1,622,249,500, well in excess of the total high estimate. It was 100% sold. The regional breakdown by value was 33% Americas, 28% APAC, and 39% EMEA. There was great strength and depth in bidding across the collection, with an average of 5.6 bidders competing for each lot. Of all the registrants for the sales, nearly 15% were new to Christie’s.
Seven artists records were set in the second part of the sale:
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, Typewriter Eraser, Scale X – $8,405,000
Joseph Kosuth, ‘Titled (A.A.I.A.I.)’ [text-context] – $289,8000 – for work on paper
PAUL CEZANNE (1839-1906) – La montagne Sainte-Victoire Painted in 1888-1899 sold for $137,790,000
The most valuable private-collection sale of all time broke the world-record for a sale just halfway through the bidding at Christie’s in New York last night. The first part of the collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen – just 60 lots – made $1,506,386,000. One highlight after another saw five paintings – the most ever in one sale – bringing more than $100 million each, with each one setting a world record.
Three of the lots were among the top lots sold of all time. Georges Seurat’s groundbreaking statement on pointillism, Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) led the evening at $149,240,000. Paul Cezanne’s monumental landscape, La Montagne Sainte-Victoire brought $137,790,000. Vincent van Gogh’s Verger avec cyprès, which captures the artist’s early encounter with the South of France, achieved $117,180,000. Paul Gauguin’s Maternité II from 1899, one of his most important years, made $105,730,000. Gustav Klimt’s evocative depiction of a Birch Forest, made $104,585,000. The number and size of the record prices set was unprecedented. 60 masterpieces were sold and 20 artists records were set.
The auction broke the world-record for a sale just halfway through the bidding when the auctioneer, Jussi Pylkkänen, knocked down Alberto Giacometti’s sculpture, Femme de Venise III, for $25,007,500. The auction was 100% sold, and 122% sold against low estimate. All of the estate’s proceeds from this historic sale will be dedicated to philanthropy, pursuant to Mr. Allen’s wishes. The second part of the sale takes place later today.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for November 2 and August 26, 2022)
RECORDS
Seurat, Les Poseuses Ensemble(Petite version) – $149,240,000
Cézanne, La montagne Sainte-Victoire – $137,790,000
Van Gogh, Verger avec cypres – $117,180,000
Gauguin, Maternite II – $105,730,000
Klimt, Birch Forest – $104,585,000
Freud, Large Interior, W11 (After Watteau) – $86,265,000
Johns, Small False Start – $55,350,000
Signac, Concarneau, calm de matin – $39,320,000
Ernst, Le roi jouant avec la reine – $24,435,000
Wyeth, Day Dream – $23,290,000
Rivera, TheRivals – $14,130,000
Francis, Composition in Blue and Black – $13,557,500
Steichen, The Flatiron – $11,840,000
Cross, Rio San Trovaso, Venise – $9,550,000
Brueghel, The Five Senses – $8,634,000
Hepworth, Elegy III – $8,634,000
Benton, Nashaquitsa – $5,580,000
Sidaner, La Serenade Venise – $2,100,000
Singer Sargent, The Façade of La Salute, Venice – $3,660,000 – for work on paper
Klee, Bunte Landschaft – $4,860,000 – for work on paper
LUCIAN FREUD (1922-2011) – Large Interior, W11 (after Watteau) made a record $86,265,000
